


After all this Time?

by Erosanderis



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Brief mention of Tony’s kidnapping, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Captain America Steve Rogers, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, M/M, Modern Bucky Barnes, Romantic Soulmates, Slow Burn, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Steve Rogers and the 21st Century, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-27
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 21:41:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 20,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23553970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erosanderis/pseuds/Erosanderis
Summary: Based on a tumblr prompt I found:Soulmates au where everyone is born with a ring-like band on their left ring finger. The color changes based on the emotion your soulmate is feeling. When your soulmate dies, the band turns black. Steve is born with a silver band. Bucky is born with a black band.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 117
Kudos: 582





	1. June 24, 1924

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies 
> 
> The first three chapters of this fic are going to be suuuper short. They are just little flashbacks for context. I pinky promise the rest will be longer. 
> 
> Xoxo Kit

“Mama?” Steve asked his mother as they walked home from school. 

“What is it, my love?” Sarah responded. 

“Why is my band alway silver? Everyone else in my class’s bands always changes color. Am I broken?” He asked with a frown.

Sarah stopped them in their tracks. She knelt down in front of her son and held his face in her hands. 

“You aren’t broken Steven. There is nothing wrong with you. Your band being silver just means your soulmate hasn’t been born yet. One day it will change color. I promise you that.”


	2. March 27, 1944

“Hey Captain?” Dum Dum asked as he and the rest of the Commandos left the war room. 

“What?” Steve snapped back. 

“How pissed off at us is Carter for the stunt we pulled?” 

“Yeah, come on Cap,” Morita added. “How red is your band? Like the red on your suit, or blood red?”

“I’m the one who called the shots, so she’s only pissed at me. How pissed, is none of your business. Now head back to your tents,” he commanded.

The Commandos saluted their captain, then made their way back to their tents. When they were finally out of sight, Steve removed his left glove to look at the color of his band. When he saw it, he sighed with expected disappointment. 

It was still silver.


	3. October 16, 2002

“Well, well, well. If it isn’t little Bucky Barnes,” Rumlow sneered upon seeing Bucky walking past the football field. 

“What do you want, Rumlow?” Bucky growled back at him. 

“Oh, I was just wondering what it felt like to know you will never be loved?” Rumlow teased. His teammates all smiled behind him, enjoying the show. 

“Why don’t you ask your mom.” Bucky retorted. “Oh, wait. She left when you were three.”

Rumlow’s smirk dropped from his face. “I’m gonna fucking kill you Barnes.”

Before Rumlow could move, Bucky made a run for it. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him, refusing to stop until he reached the safety of his own home. 

When he finally made it home, he ignored his mother’s attempt to talk to him and bolted straight to his room. Once he twisted the lock on his door, he leaned against it and crumpled to the floor. It was then that he finally let his tears fall. 

Rumlow was right. He would never know what it felt like to be loved. Sure, he had his family and friends who loved him, but it wouldn’t be the same. Those kinds of love were so much different than the love between soulmates. 

He didn’t know how long he spent on the floor, waiting for his silent sobbing to subside. When it finally did, he looked at the band on his left hand. It was still the same color as it had been on the day he was born. Jet black. 

His soulmate had died before he was born.


	4. Bucky - April 23, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> I have yet to figure out any sort of posting schedule for this fic. I’m also a week and a half away from finals, so let’s call it ‘whenever I get around to writing.’ 
> 
> I hope you like it!
> 
> Xoxo Kit

“James Buchanan Barnes where is my concealer and red lipstick?” Becca shouted from her bathroom. 

“Why the hell would I know?” He shouted back from the kitchen, earning a smack on the shoulder from his mother for swearing. 

“Because,” she said as she walked into the kitchen, “without the red pigment to neutralize it, everyone would be able to see the black through the concealer.”

She stuck out her hand, waiting for Bucky to return the stolen cosmetics. He looked at her outstretched hand for a moment before caving in. He grumbled to himself as he dug through his backpack. 

“Here,” he said, placing concealer and lipstick in her hand. 

“Thank you,” she smiled, giving him a peck on the cheek before running back to the bathroom to finish getting ready for school. 

“Jamie,” his mother said softly. 

“Yeah, I know. Be nice to Becca. She’s only sixteen. I’m twenty four. I should act like the adult that I am.” 

“You know that’s not what I was going to say, sweetheart,” she told him, reaching down and grabbing hold of his left hand. “You shouldn’t be hiding this.”

“We’ve talked about this a million times. I hate the looks that people give me. I hate that the first thing they see when they look at me is a young man who has already lost his soulmate. At least most people who have black bands can tell stories about the people who they’ve loved and lost. I can’t even do that. I’d rather cover the band up. I’d rather just look like I don’t have a soulmate. It’s not like they will magically come back to life.”

“I know it’s hard, but would you really rather be living a lie?”

“Yes. I already have the perfect plan. Conceal it until I’m forty. Then move to a place where no one knows me, stop covering it up and tell stories about the husband I lost.”

“James.”

“As much as I love having this conversation with you again, if I don’t leave now I’ll be late for work. Bye mom. Love you.”

He planted a kiss on her cheek , then made his way to the door. 

“Love you too,” she said as he walked out of the apartment. 

Bucky thought about his conversation with his mom as he made his way to work. While he rode the subway from Brooklyn to Manhattan, he paid attention to how his fellow passengers interacted with their bands. 

The elderly woman sitting across from him was staring down at hers with a frown. Bucky could make out the color from where he was sitting. It was a pale blue, the color of forgetfulness. 

The young couple at the other end of the car paid no attention to the vibrant pink bands declaring their love to the world. They were too busy staring lovingly into each other's eyes. 

A man, two seats down from the elderly lady, was staring at his phone. When his left hand moved into Bucky’s line of sight, he shuddered in disgust. The man’s band was magenta for lust. Bucky figured he was sexting his soulmate.

His eyes quickly moved to the middle aged woman standing at the pole nearest him, only to find she was already looking at him. Here eyes showed a mix of sadness and understanding. When he looked down at her hands, he knew why. Her band was black as well. 

He looked away from her, and moved his right hand to cover the left. Those sort of looks were the exact reason he wanted to just cover his band. People like that woman though he understood their pain, but he didn’t. He willed the train to go faster so that he didn’t have to be trapped in the car with her any longer than he had to. 

Eventually, it was his stop and he sped off the train. 

He made his way towards his favorite coffee shop. His day was off to a terrible start. He deserved the venti sugar filled concoction he was planning on purchasing. 

The aroma of freshly brewed coffee made Bucky perk up. He took a deep breath as he stood in line, waiting to order. When he finally made it up to the counter he placed his order for a venti cinnamon dolce latte, and made sure to put his change in the tip jar. By the time his drink was in his hand, his mood had slightly improved. 

The rest of his commute to work was, thankfully, uneventful. When he finally made it to Stark Tower, he was halfway through his coffee and nearly fully functional. He waved to the security guard at the desk and headed up to the lab. 

“I will send you to a community college robotics lab if you don’t stop messing with my stuff,” was the first thing Bucky heard Tony say as he walked into the lab. 

“Which one of your mechanical children is acting up?” He asked, making no effort to hide his disdain. 

“Shut up. If your robot baby hid your coffee from you, you would be pissed too,” Tony attempted to defend himself. 

“Jarvis, when is the last time Tony slept?”

“Sir has been awake for thirty seven hours and fourteen minutes,” Jarvis answered quickly. 

“Ha,” Bucky laughed. “Even your A.I. is calling you on you shit. Also, why the fuck have you been up so long?”

“Classified,” Tony stated.

“Jarvis?” Bucky asked. 

“Sir is being serious. His work relates to classified SHIELD intelligence,” the A.I. responded. 

“I thought you hated working with the government. I distinctly remember you telling them to kiss your ass. That’s why you created titanium man.” 

“It’s Iron Man and you know that, Clucky.” 

“Yet the suit is made out of titanium,” Bucky mused as he finished off the last of his coffee. 

“Get back to work, asshole,” Tony mumbled under his breath. 

“Sure, if you tell me what you’re working on.”

“You know that I want nothing more than to tell you everything, but this is super top secret and I can’t risk telling you anyth…..” Tony abruptly stopped, staring at Bucky with wide eyes. “Jarvis, how many hours of sleep deprivation does it take for a person to start hallucinating?”

“Typically between thirty six and forty eight hours. Shall I contact a medical professional?” Jarvis asked, Bucky thought, sounding somewhat concerned. 

“Not yet. Barnes, how long have you been awake?” 

“Since six, so about three hours. Why? Do you need me to verify that you are crazy? Because I already knew that,” Bucky teased. 

“Look at your left hand.”

“What?” Bucky’s teasing smile dropped from his face. He already looked at it enough for one day. He didn’t want to look at the black band any more than he had to. 

“Look at your hand Barnes,” Tony said a little more forcefully. 

“Fine,” Bucky said as he looked down at his hand. His heart dropped down to his stomach. He started to feel lightheaded. 

His band was changing colors. 

“So you see it too?” Tony asked. 

All Bucky could do was nod in response. 

How the hell was this possible. For twenty four years his band had been black, and now it was flashing through colors so quickly. 

Orange for confusion. 

White for fear.

Blood red for anger. 

Coral for frustration. 

Navy for grief. 

Something bad must have been happening to his soulmate who had apparently risen from the dead. 

“Tony, what the hell is happening?” Bucky asked, fear lacing his voice. 

“I don’t know. Jarvis?” Tony asked. 

“I do not know what is happening either, Sir,” Jarvis responded. “Though, you have an incoming call from Nick Fury. Shall I patch him through?” 

“Sure. Not like things can get any weirder.”

“Stark,” Fury said in place of a greeting. 

“Fury,” Tony responded with a similar level of enthusiasm. 

“Remember that classified project that I had you help out with?”

“The one with the all American popsicle? Rings a bell.”

“He’s alive. Just woke up. I’m bringing him to you now.” With that, Fury hung up the phone. 

He stared at Bucky’s hand for a moment, thinking. Suddenly, his eyes shot up to Bucky’s with a manic gleam. Bucky had never been more terrified to ask what Stark was thinking, but he knew he had to ask. 

“What?”

“Your soulmate is Captain America,” Tony stated, clearly enjoying the disbelief on Bucky’s face. 

“You mean the Captain America who died seventy years ago when he crashed his plane into the ocean to save the country?”

“That’s the one?” 

“Everyone knows his soulmate was Peggy Carter.” 

“See, that’s the thing. Dear old dad told me a story about the Captain. Well, he told me many stories about him, but my father loving a science experiment more than me isn’t the point of this,” Tony rambled. 

“Tony,” Bucky chided to get him back on track. 

“Right. So, turns out, Aunt Peggy wasn’t his soulmate. He didn’t have one. Well, he did, but his band was silver. Dad said it was odd to him that at twenty six Cap still had a silver band, but now it makes sense. It would also explain why your band had been black up until a few minutes ago.”

“How does Captain America’s silver band relate to my no-longer-black band? He’s dead.” Bucky was confined. He has no idea what Tony was getting at. 

“SHIELD found his plane.”

“What.”

“That’s the super top secret project I’ve been working on. They found his body perfectly preserved in the ice. They wanted me to help them find a way to thaw him out quickly and evenly so they could do an autopsy and try to synthesize the serum for themselves. Turns out, I made defrosters so good that he came back to life. That’s what Fury’s call was about. Captain America is very much alive and on his way to the tower now.”


	5. Steve - April 23, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> I’m back again with another chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> Xoxo  
> Kit

As he started to regain consciousness, all Steve could feel was cold. It was as if his entire body was submerged in an ice bath. His tongue felt like a block of ice. He tried to open his eyes, but they were frozen shut. 

He wondered why he felt like this. He tried to recall what happened before he fell asleep. The last thing he remembered was his fight with the Red Skull. 

They were fighting on a plane. Red Skull was going to bomb all the major American cities, but Steve stopped him. What had happened next? He sat down in the pilot's chair. He radioed Peggy. 

Shit. 

He couldn’t figure out a way to land safely. He took a nose dive into the ocean. No wonder he was so cold. 

But how was he alive? 

The last thing he could remember from the crash was all of the water seeping into the plane. He was going to drown. There was no way he could have survived. There was no one close enough to save him in time. He had to have died. 

Maybe he was in heaven.

That had to be what the muffled voices around him were. They had to be loved ones that died. He would get to see his mother again, and he would finally have a chance to meet his father. He could meet the grandparents that stayed in Ireland when his mother immigrated to America. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. 

Slowly, but surely, he began to warm up. He was able to feel his fingers and toes. He could move as well. The voices around him became clearer, but they were unfamiliar. 

“What are we going to do when he wakes up?” One of the voices asked. The voice belonged to a man, he deduced quickly. It seemed as though he was talking to a superior. 

“We’ll bring him to Stark,” another, male, voice stated. This person was clearly the authority wherever he was. 

Obviously he wasn’t dead, but Steve couldn’t help but be happy at that statement. He was going to get to see his old friend again.

Steve started to wonder how he survived the crash. He very clearly remembered water filling the plane. How long had he been under? How long did it take for people to find him? He just hoped he wasn’t under for too long, he did have a date. 

Eventually, he warmed up to the point where he could move his limbs. He wiggled his fingers and toes, thankful that they all seemed to be there. He fluttered his eyelids, but the light in the room was too bright for him to open them fully. 

As he did that, the room grew silent. His fidgeting had clearly alerted the people to the fact that he was conscious. 

“Captain Rogers,” the voice belonging to the person of authority spoke. “I’m going to place a pair of sunglasses over your eyes so that you can open them. Though, I would advise you to stay in the same position until you have fully warmed up.”

Once he felt that the glasses were placed over his eyes, he attempted to open them again. This time he was able to open them fully and get a look around. 

There were a bunch of lights surrounding him, some propped up on poles and others suspended from the ceiling. Off to the side, he saw two men watching him. The white man was wearing a black suit with a white shirt and black tie. The black man standing next to him was wearing a strange all black ensemble that was highlighted by a long, black, leather jacket. It was him who approached Steve first. 

“Welcome back Captain Rogers,” he began. Steve immediately recognized his voice as that of the person of authority. Despite his lack of an accent, Steve assumed that he was found in another country. That dynamic would never be the case in the country he knew, despite himself disagreeing with it on principle. “I’m Director Nicholas Fury from SHIELD. This is my associate agent Phil Coulson. We are here to help you transition back into society. We are here to answer any and all questions you may have.” 

Steve looked at the two of them for a moment before daring to ask anything. 

“I have two,” Steve croaked out, his voice gravelly from lack of use. “Where am I and what is SHIELD?” 

“You are in New York City.” It was Coulson who started to explain. “SHIELD stands for Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. It was founded in the 1950’s by Peggy Carter, Howard Stark, and Chester Phillips. We specialize in the abnormal. Typically, extraterrestrials and enhanced people like yourself.”

Steve was confused. Why was Coulson talking about the 1950’s as if it was in the past? The last time he checked, which was the same day he flew into the ocean, it was 1944. That would make the year 1950 six years in the future. 

He could feel his heartbeat increasing. Something was very wrong. This had to be some sort of trap. Maybe Hydra managed to get to him and now they are trying to mess with his head to make him talk. 

There was a loud beeping off to the side, that kept getting quicker as Steve’s heart rate did the same. 

Steve tried to sit up, but his body felt stiff. He had to push himself though it though. He had to get out of this place. 

“Captain Rogers, I’m going to have to advise you against that,” Fury told him. “Your body has not fully thawed out.”

“Thawed?” Steve asked. 

“Yes. When the Valkyrie went down, your body was frozen. We assume the serum that Dr. Erskine used on you was able to keep you alive. You have been frozen for the last 68 years.”

“What?” 

Steve felt like the worst was spinning around him. It was impossible. There was absolutely no way that he could have been frozen underwater for nearly seventy years. This had to be a ruse. If it wasn’t, that would mean he had lost everyone. Every person he called a friend was likely already dead, or close to it. 

Then there was also the issue of his soulmate. What if they were born while he was trapped in the ice, if that was what really happened. Were they still alive? Were they waiting to find him? What if they had died before he was found? 

He was terrified to look down at his left hand. He didn’t want to know if he missed them. He made himself do it anyway. 

When he looked down, his left ring finger no longer had the silver band. 

It was orange.


	6. Steve - April 23, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> I’m baaaaaaack! So, with this chapter I got about 750 words in before I realized I had no dialogue...... so I decided to run with it. I hope it works out well!
> 
> Xoxo  
> -Kit

Fury and Coulson were talking to him, but Steve heard none of it. The only thing running through his head was the fact that his soulmate was alive. There was an actual living, breathing person out there in the world that was destined to be with him. 

Steve wasn’t entirely sure how to act. Based on the minimal information he had, he knew his soulmate was at the oldest 68. Steve was only 26 though, so he was hoping that his soulmate was close to his age. 

Age was the least of Steve’s concerns. He wanted to know how he was going to find this person. He wanted to know if they were a man or a woman. 

Steve blanched. 

What if his soulmate was a man?

Sure, it had been nearly seventy years, but there is no way the world had changed that much. When he was growing up, he heard horror stories about people with same-sex soulmates. The second anyone found out, the person was typically beaten to death. The ones who were lucky enough to avoid this would find another queer person of the opposite sex and claim to be each others soulmate. 

Nearly every night as a child, Steve would pray that his soulmate was a woman. He was so small and sickly that he wouldn’t be able to survive if anyone tried to attack him. 

He wanted to ask them if things had changed, he really did, but if things were the same it wouldn’t go over well. 

So Steve just layed on the table as his body continued to thaw. He half listened to whatever Fury and Coulson were saying, hoping that soon he would be left to his own devices. Then, and only then, could he start trying to figure out if he should be as scared as he felt. 

Lady Luck was not on Steve’s side. Fury and Coulson didn’t leave. They ended up staying until Steve was able to move. As Steve regained his ability to move, they helped him sit up and then leave the table. 

The only upside to their longer stay was that Steve was able to retain some of the information thrown at him. He knew that it was April 23rd. He knew that the year was 2012. Technology had advanced a lot since he crashed, a large part of it due to Howard Stark. Stark died over twenty years prior, but his son Tony was running the family business. It was also the younger Stark who was responsible for the lights that defrosted him. 

Any other information that was thrown at him was either deemed unimportant, or he was too lost on thought to process any of it. 

It wasn’t long after he regained the ability to move that Fury and Coulson told him it was time for them to make their way to Stark Tower. Apparently, Steve had to go meet with Tony. Something about aiding in his reintegration to society. 

They gave Steve a change of clothes, a blue plaid button up, khaki pants, and a brown leather jacket. It was different than what he would have worn back in the day, but not as modern as Fury and Coulson’s attire. 

He was soon after loaded into a black car, which Steve thought resembled a tank more than the cars he was used to, and shipped off to New York City. 

It turns out, the facility he was being kept in was a few miles outside of the city, perfect for stealth but close enough to the city if they were needed. 

Steve was in awe as the car made it way into Manhattan. It was also eerie. There were many buildings and landmarks that he passed that looked like they hadn’t aged a day, but there were also so many changes. The newer architecture was sleeker than what he was used to, and prefered. 

Driving through Times Square was a whole other thing. All of the lights and electronic advertisements with moving pictures on them were a shock. Sure, he had seen the Wizard of Oz when it was in theaters, but this was so much more intense. The colors were more vibrant and they were plastered on the sides of buildings. Steve found himself looking on other buildings for the projectors that would have made the images possible. 

Stark Tower was not too far from the vibrant mess that was Times Square. Like many of the buildings Steve has passed on his way, the design of it was sleek. It looked to be at least the same height at the Empire State Building, possibly even taller. Unlike the Empire State Building, Steve thought this tower was an eyesore. It was massive, and the design was quite dull in his eyes. Nothing like the Art Deco of the skyscrapers of his day. 

The driver brought the car into a private parking garage, likely for the building's staff. Instead of parking, the driver pulled over to an entrance to the building and allowed him, Fury, and Coulson to exit. 

Steve was herded into an elevator by the door. He found it odd that there were no buttons to press, at least, he did until the elevator started talking to them. The elevator told the group that Stark was waiting for them in his lab. Seconds later, the elevator started moving. Steve would admit that he was startled by the whole thing. 

Fury explained that Stark Tower was controlled by artificial intelligence that Tony created. He also explained that it was a new type of technology that was able to think like a person. It sounded like a terrible idea to Steve, but he wasn’t going to voice that opinion. 

When the elevator stopped and the doors opened they were greeted by two men, one smiling maniacally and the other smiling nervously. The maniacal one was clearly Tony. Of the two, he looked the most like Howard. He also gave off the aura of a mad scientist, just as his father did. The nervous man, on the other hand, was one of the most beautiful people Steve had ever seen. His eyes were the perfect shade of blue, and his jawline was an artist's wet dream. He fingers itched for a pencil to draw the man, but he also knew the implications. 

Until steve knew this new centuries views on homosexuality, he needed to stay as far away from the pretty, blue-eyed man as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeey
> 
> So, how’d my little no dialogue experiment go? 
> 
> Also, thoughts on Steve wanting to avoid Bucky? Any ideas as to how Bucky will react? 
> 
> Xoxo Kit


	7. Bucky - April 23, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> Look at that, two chapters in two days. Please don’t expect that to keep happening, because I can’t promise it will. The good thing is, I finally figured out how long I want this fic to be! So yay me! I hope you enjoy. 
> 
> Xoxo  
> -Kit

“No. There is no way that is true,” Bucky told Tony as he started pacing through the lab. “It’s gotta be a fluke. Maybe we are both going crazy. Maybe it’s zombies. I bet it’s zombies. That’s how we will know the apocalypse started. Everyone either a dead soulmate will suddenly have a colorful band again and then a bunch of zombies will come eat our faces off. Yup. That is clearly the rational answer here.”

At least, all of that was what Bucky was trying to convince himself, because there was absolutely no way that his soulmate was Captain America. Also, holy fuck, Captain America didn’t actually die in the plane crash and was coming to the Tower. 

Back to his regularly scheduled panicking, how the hell was bucky going to explain his no-longer-black band to his family. And what if the Captain really was his soulmate. The guy just spent the last seventy years trapped in ice and literally just woke up. The world is likely disorienting, and meeting his soulmate so soon will probably make things worse. 

All he had to do was avoid touching the Captain. That’s the thing about soulmates, the second you touch them skin to skin you know. It’s like that spark that every romance novel talks about. So if Bucky so much as shakes hands with the Captain, he will have his answer, but he could also make things worse for him. 

(Bucky was also doing his best not to admit to himself that he would be disappointed if it turned out they weren’t soulmates.)

So he made his decision. He was going to avoid physical contact with Captain America. And, sadly, he had to employ Tony to help him. He stopped pacing around the lab and looked directly at his boss. 

“I can’t touch him,” he stared matter-of-factly. 

“Captain popsicle?” Tony asked. “Well, it might seem a little rude if you don’t. Plus, we will know if my hypothesis is right. And you know, I love a good experiment.” 

“Tony, I’m being serious. If what you said is true, then the guy has been dead to the world for seventy years and literally just rejoined it. He’s probably freaking out. I don’t want to add to that. I know you act like a dick to hide all your trauma, but I know there is a heart next to that metal thing in your chest. So please, help me out here,” Bucky pleaded. 

“Fine,” Tony said reluctantly. “But if you ever tell anyone I did something nice for you, I will deny it.” 

“Thank you, Tony. Really.” 

Before Tony could respond, Jarvis interrupted. 

“Sir, Director Fury is on his way up with Agent Coulson and Captain Rogers.”

Bucky paled. There was no way for him to escape. There was only one elevator. He was going to have to be there to meet Captain America with Tony. How could he greet a national hero without touching them? 

“Tony,” Bucky started. 

“I’ve got this. Just trust me kid.” 

“Okay.” 

There wasn’t enough time for him to doubt Tony. The elevator doors opened seconds later, revealing the three men Jarvis said would be joining them. 

Bucky was nervous, and he knew it showed, but he also trusted Tony to make sure that this went okay. Fury not looking pleased at Bucky’s presence didn’t help him feel any better about the situation. 

“Mr. Stark, Mr…” Fury trailed off. 

“Barnes,” Tony jumped in. “James Barnes. He’s my number two here, cuz he’s the shit. Get it. Number two. He’s the shit. Ha. Anyway, he’s my most trusted adviser and he’s signed a million and a half NDA’s so you don’t have to worry about him. Also, be warned, he has haphephobia so he’s not a fan of the whole shaking hands thing.”

“Haphe-What?” Captain America asked. “Isn’t that the bleeding disease?” 

“No, that’s haemophilia. Barnesy has haphephobia, which is the fear of touching. Trust me, I’ve tried. Trying to talk someone down from a panic attack when you can’t touch them is quite the challenge. So no touchy my assistant, but feel free to wave at him all you like. Buckaroo, give the nice gentlemen a wave, will you.” 

Bucky lifted his right hand to give the group a hesitant wave. He hated to admit it, but he would have to thank Tony when they all left. He saved his ass, as well as being an ass while he did it. The perfect cover. 

“So Captain,” Tony started up again. “Welcome to the twentieth century. I know you were besties with dear old dad, so I’m happy that I’m here to help you acclimate. But be warned, I was raised more by nannies than him, so the personalities might be a little different. Also, I set aside one of the residential floors of the tower for you. I guess that makes us roomies.”

“Stark,” Fury threatened. 

“Right, sorry. Back on track. I’m gonna take over from the men in black here and get you set up with some tech and such. So say bye bye to them, cuz you and I have to boogie. And say bye bye to my boy wonder as well, because he has some important work to do for me and can’t be bothered with trivial things like teaching you about the internet. Bye bye Buck-A-Boo,” Tony said with a flirtatious wave. 

Captain America waved awkwardly at Bucky, before he followed Tony back into the elevator. As a result, he left Bucky alone with Fury and Coulson. 

“Mr. Barnes, I hope I don’t need to tell you what happens if word gets out about our new friend here?” Fury asked.

“No sir. I’ve worked on many sensitive projects with Stark. I know when to keep my mouth shut.” 

“Good. Enjoy the rest of your day.” 

And with that, Fury and Coulson walked into the elevator that had just returned to the lab. 

When they were gone, Bucky found the project that he was supposed to be working on that day. He tried his best to focus on it, but his heart wasn’t in it. 

_Shit_ , he thought to himself. _How am I going to explain my band to my ma when I get home_. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyyyyy
> 
> So
> 
> Thoughts on Bucky’s plan to avoid touching Steve? 
> 
> What about how Tony helped him out? 
> 
> Lemme know your thoughts.
> 
> Love you all   
> -Kit


	8. Bucky - April 23, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> I have returned with another chapter! It is currently almost midnight where I live and I need to be up at 7am so that I can babysit my coworkers kids. Naturally, I’m writing instead...... 
> 
> Xoxo   
> -Kit

By the time the clock struck six, Bucky was on the verge of a panic attack. Tony had spent the entire day with Steve, meaning Bucky was left alone in the lab with his thoughts. 

How the hell was he supposed to explain that his band, which was very clearly black this morning, was now colorful? He and his mother had had a conversation about him trying to cover it before he left for work. He was sworn to secrecy because of all the NDA’s he’s had to sign for work, so the real reason was out of the question. 

He wished that Tony was in the lab to talk it through. Granted, most of his ideas would probably be useless, every so often he had a gem. Like earlier with the fear of touching thing. Sure, it will probably backfire, but it was a good enough excuse for now. 

Bucky had to think like Tony to get himself out of this mess. What would Tony do? 

Maybe, he had invented a color changing ring that could subtly cover a black band? No. That wouldn’t work. His mom would want him to take off the ring to show her. 

A paint of sorts? Tony could have secretly created a magical paint that could cover bands. That could work. He could say that Tony was using him as a test dummy to see how long it held up during an average day. 

Yeah, that could be believable. He had to hope his mother would believe that was the case. There was no other way to explain it to her. At least, not another way that Bucky could think of in his panicked state. 

The rest of Bucky’s commute home was spent hashing out the details in his head. Should he outright tell her? Should he wait for her to notice? (He was leaning more towards the latter.) 

By the time he made it home, he knew what he was going to do. 

“Jamie, is that you?” His mother shouted from the kitchen as he walked through the door.

“Nope, it’s a burglar here to steal all your stuff,” he replied sarcastically. 

“Ha ha,” Winnifred said humorlessly, walking out of the kitchen to greet her son. “How was work?”

“Same old, same old. Tony had been awake over 36 hours when I got there and threatened his robots. So, a normal day in the lab.”

“Sounds dull. While I have you here, I want to pick up our discussion from this morning about your ban-“ Winnifred cut herself off, staring at Bucky’s left hand. 

“Ma?” He asked, trying to act like he didn’t know what was going on. “What are you, oh. Right, I forgot about that. Tony made this paint thing, I’m not totally sure how it works, but it’s supposed to cover up a black band and change every-so-often. Since I have a black band, he wanted to use me as a test dummy. See how it holds up over time, if it flakes off, that sort of think. I’m so used to not looking at my band that I forgot it was even on.” 

“Tony made a paint?” She questioned one disbelief. 

“Yeah. For people like me, or people who lose their soulmates young, or people who never meet them,” Bucky said, entirely out of his ass. 

“Why would he even think to do that?” 

“Well, he and I have had a few conversations about it. Normally they happen after we meet someone new together. He noticed that they always act sad when they see my band and he wanted to know how it affected my life. I guess he started working on it on the side.” 

Without another word, Winnifred walked over to her son and wrapped him in her arms. 

“I can’t even imagine how hard it is for you sweetie. I wish there was a way for you to at least learn a little bit about who they were so you could have a little closure.” 

“Thanks Ma,” he whispered. 

“Now,” she said, pulling back. “I need some help preparing dinner.”

Happy for the distraction, Bucky followed his mom to the kitchen to help. 

A few hours later, Bucky found himself laying in bed, staring at his hand. He still couldn’t believe that he actually had a soulmate. Mind you, he had no intention of telling the man, but it was comforting to know he was out there. 

Bucky wondered how long it would take for him to get used to the fact that he would see a different color every time he looked down at his band. It was also a little odd to him that he would know what a national icon was feeling at all times, but it could be good too. He would know when he was sad, stressed, or annoyed. 

Bucky could actually help him. Finding out you woke up seventy years in the future had to be fucking awful. If Bucky could use his new knowledge to aid in Captain America’s adjustment to the new century he was in, then Bucky would try his best. He would have to talk to Tony tomorrow to come up with a plan. But first, he needed to go to sleep. 

Before he shut his lamp off to go to sleep, Bucky took one last glance down at his now colorful band. It was yellow. Bucky fell asleep with a smile on his face knowing his soulmate was happy as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiii! 
> 
> I hope you like it! What do you think about Bucky's plan to make Steve’s transition easier? 
> 
> -Kit


	9. Steve - April 23-24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> I’m back again with another chapter for you!   
> I just started going back to work, so hopefully now that I’m being productive for a few hours a day I will find more motivation to write!   
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> Xoxo   
> -Kit

“And last, but certainly not least, your brandy-new apartment,” Tony told Steve as they walked out onto the floor the elevator stopped on. 

“Oh,” Steve said, slightly confused. “Is it one of the rooms on this floor?” That would clearly be the most rational explanation. 

Tony gave him an odd look before continuing. 

“No. The entire floor is yours. Only you can access it. Your new buddy Jarvis will tell you if anyone is requesting to come up, which you can allow or deny. Jarvis is also programmed to override that rule in case of an emergency. But other than that, it’s all yours, Capsicle.” 

Steve looked at him in awe. He had never had this much space in his life. His childhood apparent could have fit in the kitchen with room to spare. It was too much, and he tried to tell Tony as much. Tony just waved it off and claimed that it was nothing. 

Not long after, Tony left the floor so that Steve could explore it on his own. 

He spent much more time than he was willing to admit to exploring his new home. The kitchen had so many fancy gadgets that he knew he wouldn’t be able to figure out. The living room had a tv as big as the couch. There were multiple rooms that were sparsely furnished, waiting for Steve to decide their purpose. 

The thing that amazed Steve the most was the master bathroom. It was attached to the master bedroom, which itself was impressive. The bathroom had a claw foot bathtub that was large enough to fit two super soldiers. Steve was looking forward to having a chance to use it. The shower, however, was much more modern. It was made entirely out of glass and had multiple shower heads. It looked as if there were seven in total, two on each of the three walls and one directly overhead. He couldn’t wait to figure out how to use it. But first, he needed to eat. 

Steve ventured back to the kitchen, which had apparently been fully stocked. He was a little shocked at the variety of things that were in the fridge. There were the basics like milk, eggs, and butter, but they were there in the largest quantity he had ever seen at once. There were multiple types of meat as well. He knew that things had improved economically in the years that he was frozen, but he hadn’t realized how much until that moment. 

Not knowing what to do, Steve decided to make steak and potatoes with a simple salad. It was something that he could make quickly and also felt familiar. 

Forty minutes later, he had finished his dinner and cleaned up after himself. He figured it was a good time to test out his beautiful new bathtub. 

“Captain Rogers,” Jarvis started as Steve was turning on the faucet, startling the super soldier. 

“Yes?” He asked when his heart rate returned to normal. 

“Mr. Stark has stocked the bathroom with bath bombs, bubble bars, and bubble soap if you would like to add any of those to your bath.” 

“Bath bombs?” Steve asked. Clearly this was one of the many new things from this century that made no sense to him. 

“Yes, they are fizzing balls that are made of essential oils that help you relax in the bath. Some also change the color of the water or make it bubbly.” 

“Oh. Could you tell me where those are?” 

“Of course, sir.” 

Jarvis led him to the cabinet where all the bath products were located and aided him in selecting one that was supposed to be extremely calming. It was lavender and smelled as such. 

Steve spent the next hour relaxing in the tub, thinking about his life. He thought about the people who he had loved and lost. He thought about how much the world had changed in terms of technology, fashion, and many other things that he likely hadn’t come into contact with. 

He also spent a long time staring at the colorful band on his left ring finger. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine what he thought his soulmate would be like. He was always fond of brunettes, especially once with pretty blue eyes. Sort of like the man who was with Tony when he first came in. 

Steve’s eyes snapped open at that thought. He still wasn’t sure how this new world felt about homosexuality. He needed to force himself to stop thinking about the man. And besides, the man had a phobia of being touched. Even if by some chance the man was Steve’s soulmate, he would never be able to touch him to find out. He didn’t even remember his name because he was so startled by Tony’s demeanor.

When he eventually got out of the tub, he made his way to the bedroom to put on something to sleep in. Tony informed him that the room was fully stocked with clothes in his size so that he wouldn’t have to wear what SHIELD gave him. He opted for a plain white shirt with a pair of grey sweatpants. 

When he crawled into bed, he looked up at the ceiling and asked Jarvis about what important historical events he had missed while he was frozen. 

Jarvis filled him in on how the war he had taken part in ended, the Korean War, the Vietnam war, the gulf war, and the current war in the Middle East. He told him about the civil rights movement, the assasination of JFK, and the watergate scandal. He learned that just four years ago, the first black president had been elected. 

With all the progress that had been made in the last seventy years, Steve decided to risk asking the question he desperately wanted an answer to. He did need to take some precautions. 

“Hey Jarvis?” Steve asked hesitantly. 

“Yes Captain Rogers.” 

“Can anyone else see the things that I ask you?” 

“Sir has made it so that no one can access my history. Also, if you use a smartphone, laptop, etc. the browser history of anyone hooked up to the tower resident WiFi is wiped clean. You can freely search for all the pornography you want.” 

“What?” Steve choked out, wondering what could have possibly made Jarvis respond like that. 

“My apologies, Captain. When people ask about that, specifically while in bed, they are generally concerned about their pornography being found. I seem to have misread the situation. What is it you would like to know?”

Steve hesitated for a second before asking. 

“I know a lot has changed over the years, so I was wondering. Fuck. What are people’s thoughts on, um, same sex soulmates?” 

There. He asked. Now he just had to hope. 

“In 1961, Illinois became the first state to decriminalize homosexuality. In June 1969, the riot at the Stonewall Inn began the gay civil rights movement. In 1973, homosexuality was removed from the list of mental illnesses. While there are still people who have problems with it, most people now are accepting of it.” 

“Thank you Jarvis.” 

“You’re welcome, Captain. Is there anything else you wish to know?”

“Not right now. I think I’m just going to go to sleep.” 

“Very well. Goodnight Captain.”

“Goodnight Jarvis.” 

Steve looked at his band one last time before shutting off the lights. His soulmate could be a man and it would be acceptable. He couldn’t recall a time in his life where he had been happier. 

That night, he fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	10. Bucky - April 25, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> I know it’s been a while, but I’m back! I hope you enjoy more of steve and Bucky’s adventures in being soulmates! 
> 
> Xoxo Kit

Bucky found himself both excited and terrified to go to work. Both of those feelings stemmed from the prospect of being around Steve. 

On one hand, he loved the idea of being around Steve. Steve was his soulmate. Bucky had a soulmate now! After years of accepting his fate of eternal loneliness, he learned that it wasn’t the case. He would get to see Steve and know how he felt. He would know when he had made Steve happy. He would know immediately when Steve’s mood shifted to sadness and try to cheer him up. 

On the other hand, there was the terrifying aspect of touching. Unlike the lie Tony gave, Bucky was actually a very tactile person. He was always hugging his friends and family, placing a hand in their shoulder, always finding an excuse for physical contact. With Steve, he couldn’t do that. The second they touched, Steve would know the truth. He just woke up seventy years in the future, learning he had a soulmate would not benefit him right now. 

Bucky’s biggest fear in regard to Steve was the possibility of accidentally touching him. There was a good chance that Steve would be spending a decent amount of time with Tony and Bucky. They were the only people he knew in this century. If they so much as brushed against each other Steve would know. 

As much as he didn’t want to, Bucky knew it would be best to avoid Steve. 

—————

Just as he had anticipated, Steve was hanging around the lab with Tony. The pair were sitting over whatever Tony’s latest project was, answering whatever questions Steve had about the tech. Steve was nodding his head along and asking all the right questions. He seemed to be understanding what Tony was telling him. At least, that’s what Bucky thought until he looked at his band. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the orange band, letting Bucky know that Steve was confused by everything Tony was saying. 

“Hey Tony, why don’t you give Captain Rogers a break? The average person can only listen to you for ten minutes before wanting to take a swing at you. And as much as I’d love to see that, you also sign my paychecks. So lay off him a little.” 

Not only could Bucky see relief flood Steve’s face, but he could see it reflected in the change in his band color. 

“I was just trying to get Capsicle here caught up on current technology. Well, going a little more in depth than I did yesterday,” Tony defended without looking up from what he was tinkering with. 

“Mhm,” Bucky hummed. Then he turned his gaze to Captain Rogers. “If you have any questions, please direct them to me. Tony will only make things worse.” 

“Asshole,” Tony mumbled under his breath, making Captain Rogers smile. 

“Thank you. And please, call me Steve,” Captain Rogers - Steve told him. 

“If I call you Steve, then you can call me Bucky.”

“Well okay then, Bucky.” 

Steve gives him a soft smile, which happily returns.

If he wasn’t certain that Steve was his soulmate he was now. They both had matching yellow bands. 

Naturally, Tony noticed and had to ruin it. 

“Are you two done flirting? Buckyboo and I have some very important business to attend to,” Tony jumped in, a devilish smirk plating on his lips. 

Yellow immediately turns to white as Steve starts choking on nothing. He hid his fear relatively well, excluding the choking, but he was scared nonetheless. 

“That’s not illegal anymore, by the way,” Tony jumped back in. “Being gay, that is. It’s actually pretty common and widely accepted nowadays.” 

“I know,” Steve said as he regained his composure, much to Bucky’s surprise. “Jarvis covered it last night when I asked for a recap of major things I missed while in the ice.”

“And you’re okay with that?” 

“Have been since I was a kid. I did grow up in Brooklyn. It was a hotspot for the queers back then. Is that an acceptable term to use, or is it offensive?”

To say Bucky was shocked was an understatement. This man had grown up in one of the most bigoted eras of American history, yet he was complexly accepting of the LGBTQ+ community and was even trying to make sure he used the correct terminology. But just because Steve was accepting of gay people didn’t mean he would be okay with it is his soulmate was a man. 

“Queer?” Bucky jumped in. “It depends. If you say it like an insult or slur than yes, but if you are using it to use an umbrella term for all LGBTQ+ people then it's fine. Though, it’s typically only used by members of the community.” 

“Good to know. Well, I should let you two get to work,” Steve said, getting up from where he was sitting. “It was nice to see you again Bucky.”

“Right back atcha, Steve. Remember, if you have any questions, ask me instead of Tony. Jarvis has my permission to give you my phone number or whatever if need be.” 

“I appreciate it,” Steve said with a soft smile, making his way out of the lab. 

Once Steve was out of the lab, Bucky made the mistake of looking at Tony. As expected, he was smirking. 

“Jarvis has your permission to give him your number?” Tony asked, clearly enjoying himself. “And can we also take a moment to talk about how he reacted to the flirting comment? Do you think the Captain has a little crush on you already? Do you think he can sense that you two are soulmates? Gasp! Do you think he will take advantage of the fact that you gave him permission to reach out to you and make up excuses to text you?”

“Tony, shut up,” Bucky said, unamused by his boss. 

“Hey Jarvis,” Tony called out, unaffected by Bucky’s comment, “let me know when Captain Rogers asks for Barnes’s number, will ya.” 

“Certainly sir,” Jarvis responds. 

Bucky leveled Tony with a glare. 

“I hate you and I’m going to quit,” he threatened.

“No you won’t.”

“No, I won’t. Now can we please get to work?”

“Sure thing, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this update! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciates 
> 
> Xoxo 
> 
> -Kit


	11. Steve - April 25, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> Long time no see. Well, post I guess. The good news is, I have fully outlined what I plan on doing for the rest of this fic. Bad news, I have literally no idea when it will get written and posted. I really need to work on the whole “update in a timely manor” thing....... Anyway... we get a little Natasha in the chapter yay!   
> I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> Xoxo Kit

Bucky.

Steve thought it was a little odd, but it suited him. 

He was also freaking out a little. Bucky said that he could ask Jarvis for his phone number! 

It was going to take every ounce of Steve’s willpower not to call Bucky immediately. 

Thanks to Tony’s intro to modern technology lessons, Steve has learned about text messaging. It seemed like the easiest way to get into contact with Bucky, yet Steve still liked the idea of a phone call. He was half tempted to pretend that he didn’t understand the concept of a text message and prefered to either make calls or write letters, though it was unlikely that the letter writing would be an efficient means of contact. 

To distract himself from the temptation of Bucky, at least while he was working with Tony, Steve decided to head to the tower gym. 

When he arrived on the floor, he saw a small redheaded woman running on the treadmill. Despite never having spoken to her, she already reminded Steve of Peggy. She gave off a take-no-shit attitude and looked like she could murder a man with her pinky. He knew, in that moment, that he wanted to befriend her. 

He walked over to the treadmill, making sure to make his presence known to her. He hopped on to the machine next to her and began to jog. He spent the first few minutes of his jog trying to figure out how to strike up a conversation with her, but it turns out he didn’t need to. It was the redhead who initiated it. 

“How are you adjusting to the twenty-first century, Captain,” she asks, sounding unaffected by the pace at which she was running. 

“It’s a little tough,” he answers honestly, “but it makes me happy to see how much the world has changed for the better.” 

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but when I heard about you I figured you would freak out or say something offensive without realizing it and cause a scandal.” 

“Well I would like to think that I am pretty progressive. I’ve always had a habit of standing up for the little guy. And, the public has no idea that I’m alive, so that gives everyone time to get me adjusted to everything that’s changed. I also think it’s unfair that you know my name, yet I don’t know yours.” 

“Romanov,” she said, turning off her machine and facing him, “Natasha Romanov.”

“Nice to meet you Ms. Romanov,” he greeted, turning off his treadmill as well. 

“Just Romanov. No need for the formality Captain.”

“Well if we’re neglecting formality then at least call me Steve.” 

“Then I guess you should call me Natasha. Have you had a chance to spar with anyone since you woke up?” She asked. 

“No, I have not. I could use someone to show me how outdated my skills are,” he joked. 

Natasha smirked at him, then motioned for him to follow her over to the mats. 

Over the next few hours, Steve learned that he was right in his assumption that she was like Peggy. He repeatedly got his ass handed to him while she helped him update his fighting style. He was also quite happy to learn that she had the same sarcastic sense of humor he did. 

By the time the two had decided to call it a day, Steve was happy to say that he had made a new friend. They exchanged phone numbers and promised to reach out to one another if they needed a sparring partner again. 

When he finally made it back to his room, Steve figured a bath would be the perfect thing to relax him. He ran the faucet and picked out another lavender bath bomb. 

Steve melted as he sunk down into the tub. The scent of lavender enveloped him as the endorphins from his sparring session dissipated. He let himself soak with an empty mind for longer than he would ever willingly admit. 

Eventually, much to Steve’s dismay, that water ran cold. He pulled the plug from the drain and waited until most of the water was gone to get out of the tub. 

He got dressed in a comfy pair of sweats, then went to the kitchen to make himself something to eat. 

While he was eating, his mind started drifting back to Bucky and the conversation they had earlier that day. He really wanted to reach out to Bucky, he did, but he wasn’t entirely sure how to reach out to him. Sure, Bucky said he could reach out if he had any questions about the modern world, but Steve didn’t have any questions that he could think of. 

Maybe he could text Bucky and ask him what he thought was the most important thing for him to do or try. That felt like a good idea. 

“Hey, um, Jarvis?” Steve asked nervously. 

“Yes Captain Rogers?” 

“Earlier today Bucky said that you could give me his contact information… Would you be able to tell me that now?” 

“Mr. Barnes’s phone number and email address were programmed into your phone the moment he gave you permission to access it. Though, I must warn you that Mr. Stark requested that I inform him when you ask for Mr. Barnes’s phone number.” 

“You know, I’m not really that surprised,” Steve admitted to the A.I. “Thank you, Jarvis.” 

“You are quite welcome, Captain.” 

Steve pulled out his phone and opened up a new message. He typed in Bucky’s name and it popped up as a contact. He clicked it, then spent the next few minutes pondering what he should type. In the end, he settled on something simple. 

*Steve* : Hello Bucky, this is Steve Rogers. 

Steve triple checked his spelling and punctuation before hitting send. He then put his phone down on the table and set off to clean up the mess he made while preparing his food. 

He tried his hardest not to focus on whether or not Bucky had responded, but he couldn’t help it. With the speed at which people could communicate these days, Steve wanted to look for a response every ten seconds. 

By the time he finished cleaning up, he felt like he could validate checking his phone. When he did, he saw that Bucky had responded a few minutes ago. 

*Bucky* : Well, hello there Steve. I was wondering if you would reach out. How can I be of service to you?” 

Steve’s heart rate picked up a little when he read Bucky’s response, mostly due to how he worded it. 

*Steve* : I was hoping you would be able to provide me with some suggestions of things to catch up on. I already received a run down of major historical events from Jarvis and Tony did his best with technology. What do you think is something I should look into? 

After hitting send Steve set his phone down, but didn’t press the lock button. He stared at the screen until he saw the three little dots that indicated Bucky was typing. 

*Bucky* : What are your thoughts on coffee?

*Steve* : I like the idea of it. I did not try it until I joined the army due to my bum heart, and the sludge we had on the base was not the best. Hopefully whatever you are thinking can help me learn to like it. 

*Bucky* : You are in luck, because I was going to recommend you try my favorite coffee shop. It’s called Perkatory and it’s only two blocks away from Stark Tower. The best way to pick your drink is to tell the barista the flavors you like and are in the mood for and they can pick the drink for you. 

*Steve* : Thank you for the suggestion. I will have to try their coffee. If you can think of anything else that I should try to help me adjust, please let me know. 

*Bucky* : Will do. As long as you tell me what you think of that coffee shop. :) 

*Steve* : :) 

Steve couldn’t help but smile down at his phone. Not only did Bucky suggest sod thing for him to try, but he specifically requested that Steve reach out to him again. He couldn’t help but hope maybe one day, Bucky’s suggestion would be something they could do together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again, 
> 
> Fun fact, I texted the person I may or may not have a slight crush on right before I wrote the whole Steve agonizing over texting Bucky thing. Sadly, said person has not responded as of the time I’m posting things....... 
> 
> Anywho, comments and kudos are much loved. 
> 
> Y’all are amazing! 
> 
> \- Kit


	12. Steve - April 26, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> So the last 24 hours have been absolute shit with the passing of Chadwick Boseman. My heart goes out to his family and friends. I added this chapter to my drafts a few days ago and planned on updating tomorrow, but I figured as a result of the darkness of the day, I would post a little stucky silver lining early. The notes that follow this are what I had originally saved on the draft. I send you all my love and I hope you are holding up 💖
> 
> Look at me, an update in a timely manner! (Fun fact, I actually finished this on the 25 but kept this in my drafts for a while so I didn’t post two chapters in one week) I feel so accomplished! We are in the home stretch darlings! I hope you enjoy this chapter. 
> 
> Xoxo Kit

The coffee shop that Bucky recommended was interesting, to put it nicely. The only way that Steve could describe it was spooky, which shouldn’t have come as a surprise given that it was named Perkatory. The walls of the shop were painted a dark grey and it’s staff and patrons were mostly dressed in black. The only pop of color in the shop was from the smattering of plants along the walls. It certainly was not the aesthetic he was used to, but that could have been part of the reason it was suggested. 

The young man standing at the register, Nico according to his name tag, gave Steve an odd look as he approached. 

“Welcome to Perkatory,” he greeted, “what can I get for you today?” 

“Hi. A friend of mine recommended this shop to me and told me that if I tell you the flavor profile I am in the mood for you would be able to pick a drink for me. I’m a little new to the coffee thing,” Steve replied awkwardly. 

“Yup. I can do that for you. What are you in the mood for?” 

“Um, something on the sweeter side, but not overpoweringly sweet. Maybe something like a darker chocolate or cinnamon.” 

“Alrighty,” the cashier said, pressing a few buttons on the machine. “That will be $5.26.” 

Steve tried not to visibly react to the price, knowing that the value of the dollar has since changed. 

“And can I get a name for the order?”

“Steve.” 

“Great, we will call your name when it’s ready.” 

Steve iced down to the counter where a few other patrons were waiting for their drinks. He pulled out his phone and opened na messages with Bucky. He snapped a picture of the counter and sent it with the caption ‘I hope that you lead me in the right direction with this coffee.’ 

After he sent the text, he pulled up a trivia game that he had downloaded. He didn’t know the answers to most of the questions, but it gave him ideas of the sort of things that he needed to look into to get caught up. 

By the time his name was called, Bucky still had not replied to his text. While he was disappointed, he figured it was because Bucky was in the middle of working. 

Steve took a sip of the drink and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It was exactly what he was craving. A little bit of chocolate and cinnamon, but neither flavor was overpowering nor was it overly sweet. 

He walked back to the tower happily sipping on his coffee, trying to figure out how to ask Bucky for more suggestions. Mayby, since it was nearing lunch time, he could pop up to the lab and see if Bucky had any suggestions of where he should get food from. That seemed harmless. 

Upon his request, Jarvis took him up to the lab when he got into the elevator. When he got up there, Tony and Bucky were bending over what appeared to be a crude mechanical arm. 

Tony was the first to look up, smirking at Steve. He then nudged Bucky's arm to draw his attention away from what he was working on. When Bucky looked up and saw Steve, he blushed. 

“What brings you to the lab Capsicle?” Tony asked. 

“Well, last night Bucky recommended a coffee shop to me and it went pretty well. Since it’s almost time for lunch, I figured I’d pop in and see if he had any other places that I should try,” he told Tony. Then he looked at Bucky. “I hope I’m not overstepping.” 

Bucky glanced down at his hands for a moment, as if he was looking for something before answering Steve. 

“Nope. Uh, you’re not overstepping. I just didn’t think you would go there so soon. Um, food ideas,” he passed for a moment, looking anywhere but Steve. “There is a Thai place that I usually order take out from while I’m here. The shrimp pad Thai is really good. Jarvis can pull up the information for you.” 

“Or,” Tony cut in, “you could take his phone and show him. Just a suggestion.” 

If looks could kill, Tony would surely be six feet under. The glare that Bucky leveled him with would have had Steve quaking in his boots, and the look wasn’t even directed towards him. Tony, on the other hand, was grinning like the cat that caught the canary. 

“Why bother when you created an A.I. that can do it for me,” Bucky mumbled, still avoiding looking in Steve's direction. 

Steve decided that it would be a good time to jump back onto the conversation. 

“It’s fine, Tony. Jarvis found the coffee shop for me. I’m sure he could help me find this Thai restaurant. Can’t you Jarvis?” He directed his last question to the ceiling. 

“Certainly Captain,” Jarvis replaced. “I have already pulled up the menu on your cell phone.”

“Thank you. Well, I guess I’ll get out of your hair so you can get back to whatever it is you’re working on. Thanks again for the suggestions Buck,” Steve said, hoping to get some sort of reaction from the man. 

Bucky, disappointingly, kept his head down and replied with a simple “mhm.” 

Steve gave Tony a wave goodbye and a small smile before heading back over to the elevator. 

When the doors closed behind him, he let his smile fall. There was something odd about the way that Bucky was acting towards him. The night before when they were texting, Bucky was being very friendly, maybe even a little flirty. Today though, it was like Bucky wanted nothing to do with him. He wouldn’t even look up at Steve while they were talking. Steve couldn’t help but feel like maybe he had done something wrong. He felt like he needed to reach out to Bucky and apologize, but he also wasn’t entirely sure what he would be apologizing for. 

He decided that it would be best to try and take his mind off of Bucky for a little while and revisit it when he had a clear head. He ordered lunch from the place that Bucky suggested he try and had Jarvis put on a film called Star Wars, which was apparently something he just had to watch. Steve set his phone face down on the coffee table and allowed himself to get lost in a galaxy far far away. 

By the time Luke, Leia, and Han work together to destroy the Death Star, Steve understands why the films are so popular. 

As the end credits ran, Steve picked up his phone off the coffee table. When he turned on the screen he saw that he had a new message. It was from Bucky. 

*Bucky* : Hey Steve, I just wanted to say sorry for acting weird earlier. I was having a bad morning and it seemed to seep into how I was acting towards you. 

So Steve hadn’t done anything wrong, Bucky was just having a bad day. He wasn’t too happy about Bucky's bad day, but he was happy that he wasn’t to blame for it. 

*Steve* : It’s alright, Bucky. It happens to the best of us. I hope your day got better. 

Steve put his phone back down on the table with a soft smile. At least, until he caught sight of his band. 

To be honest, Steve mostly forgot about it. He spent most of his life trying not to look at the band of silver wrapped around his finger. He forgot he has a soulmate somewhere out there. A soulmate who, according to the dark blue of his band, was feeling guilty over something. 

Steve knew that their band was now the same shade of blue. He completely forgot that he had a soulmate out there. He was so caught up on Bucky. Hell, Bucky had a soulmate out there too. If someone was flirting with his soulmate he knew he wouldn’t be happy. At most, Steve could strive for friendship with Bucky. Sure, it’s not what he wanted, but he had to accept that it was the most likely outcome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiii 
> 
> Love you all. Thank you for reading. I appreciate each and every one of you. As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated. 
> 
> -Kit


	13. Bucky - April 30, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> Can we just take a moment to be amazed by my super consistent updating! Hooray for pre writing chapters! (This one was completed on 8/28!) 
> 
> So, we are in the homestretch of this fic now! Technically we only have three chapters left! Chapters 17&18 will both be epilogues! 
> 
> I’m so excited for this chapter and I hope you all like it. We get a lot of high quality best friend Tony Stark. 
> 
> Enjoy! 
> 
> Xoxo  
> -Kit

“Do you paint your suit red for the same reason men make their cars really loud?” Bucky asked Tony as they worked together on the newest version of the Ironman suit. 

“Depends on what you think that reason is.” 

“To feel more manly. You know, cuz you think some other things leave something to be desired,” Bucky smirked. 

“James!” Tony gasped, feigning shock, “are you talking about what I think you are talking about? Because I will have you know that I leave nothing to be desired, just ask Pepper.” 

Bucky rolled his eyes at his boss.

“I’ll pass on that.” 

“What are you passing on?” A familiar voice asked. 

Bucky turned towards the elevator to see Steve walking out of it with a takeaway cup of coffee in hand. 

“My darling Jamesey does not want to hear about my sexual prowess,” Tony told him, clearly trying to make the Captain squirm. 

The attempt was a success, because the moment after Tony said it, Bucky’s band immediately showed Steve’s discomfort. He also caught Tony smirking at the change in band color out of the corner of his eye. 

Steve hung around the lab for a while, as he had been doing for the past few days after he got his coffee from Perkatory. 

As he alway is, Bucky was hyper aware of where Steve was in the lab. If Steve moved a little too close for comfort, then Bucky would move himself so that they didn’t run the risk of touching. He was dismissive in conversation and tried to keep his focus on his work. 

Eventually, Steve gets annoyed by Tony’s constant chatter and Bucky’s near refusal to talk in person and leaves the lab. 

This time Steve’s exit leaves the lab unnaturally quiet. Instead of his usual chatter, Tony is working silently.

The silence lasts for a lot longer than Bucky is comfortable with, but he also isn’t sure how he should go about starting a conversation. 

“So, how are things going with you and the good captain?” Tony asked, breaking the silence. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bucky answers, trying to be as dismissive as he could. 

“You know exactly what I’m talking about Barnes. I know the two of you have been texting back and forth. I also see how you try your hardest to avoid him in person. So what’s up.” 

“I just,” Bucky pauses to collect his thoughts, “I like him, okay. And you know how I am with people I like. I’m a very touchy feely person and I can’t be like that with him.” 

“Why can’t you though?” 

“You know why, Tony.” 

“No, I don’t. Tell me.” 

“Because if I so much as brush up against him, he will find out that we are soulmates. The guy hasn't even been in this century for a week and I don’t want to freak him out. I can’t even imagine how fucking weird it must be to find out you were frozen for seventy years and woke up in the future. I bet it would be even more fucking wild to find out that the person you are destined to be with is not only from that future, and oh yeah, he’s also a dude. Have fun with that. There is so much shit that he has to process. I don’t want to make things worse for him. Okay?” 

“Okay. I understand your point, but, hear me out, why not do it? Like, just say ‘fuck it’ and give him a high five? I know you don’t want to pile more on him, but also there is so much shit happening at once that finding his soulmate could actually be helpful.”

“I know that you are trying to be a good friend Tony, but I’ve made the decision to handle it this way. Can you please just accept it?” Bucky said, his irritation with his boss beginning to seep through. 

“No,” Tony said sternly enough to catch Bucky off guard. “I can’t leave it alone because I’m pretty sure I know exactly how he feels. Did I ever tell you how I found out Pepper was my soulmate?” 

“It’s never come up.” 

Tony paused for a moment. He looked down at his shoes, took a deep breath, then looked back up at Bucky. 

“Growing up dear old dad was never the touchy-feely type. The only time he would ever touch me was a hand on the shoulder when we needed PR pictures. Whenever strangers would touch me it was a too tight handshake, a squeeze on the shoulder, something that felt a little too familiar because they knew my dad. After a while I stopped with the touching and the hand shaking, so when I hired Pep as my assistant I didn’t even shake her hand. For the longest time, I had no physical contact with her, professionally speaking. Then the whole kidnapping thing happened. You remember that, right? Some crazy terrorist guy kidnapped me so I’d make missiles for him. Well, I remember sitting in the cave on death’s doorstep thinking about how I was going to die alone. I kept staring at my band wondering what was happening to make my soulmate feel what they were. I was thinking that there was someone out there who was going to have a black band any day now all because the wrong people wanted their hands on what I created. When I got rescued I decided that I was going to try to find them somehow. The second I landed back in the states and walked off that plane, Pep ran over to me and wrapped me in her arms. The second she did I felt it. I knew she was my soulmate and I just collapsed on the ground sobbing. Part of me felt so damn stupid in that moment. If I had just shook her hand after I hired her I would have known. We could have been living out happily ever after, but I let my past affect how I interacted with everyone. Having Pepper by my side through my recovery and all the therapy I went to was a godsend. It would have been ten times harder to get through without having her there, knowing that she would love me no matter what because we were fated to be together. So yeah, Steve is going through so much shit right now, but having you by his side would make his life so much damn easier.” 

Bucky stared at Tony in shock. He wasn’t entirely sure how he was supposed to respond to all the information that had been dumped on him. He, like the rest of the world, had just assumed Pepper and Tony had always known they were soulmates but kept it a secret until after he was rescued. 

“Shit,” Bucky said intelligently after a moment of silence. “I feel like I should say more, but shit. I get why you want me to tell him now.”

“Yeah. It will do him more good than harm. I mean, sure, it’s going to annoy the shit out of me to see you being lovey dovey in my lab,” Tony joked to defuse some of the tension in the room, “ but it’s going to help him adjust.”

“Would you feel better if I said I would think about it? I just, I don’t know if I’m ready for this. I spent my whole life thinking my soulmate died before I was born. Knowing that he was literally just in the same room as us is so surreal to me. Part of me just wants to keep reassuring myself that he is real sometimes.”

“You know what will make him seem more real?” Tony asked with a smirk. 

“If you say something perverted I’m going to punch you. And I won’t be able to get fired for it because whatever comes out of you mouth would be considered sexual harassment.” 

Tony lets out a chuckle and puts his hands up in surrender. 

“Fine, fine. Be a buzzkill. But yeah, please promise me to at least consider it.” 

“I can do that. Now, can we please get back to working on your stupid suit? You want it in tip top shape in case we get invaded by aliens or something.” 

At that comment Tony snorted, but picked his tools up to get back to work. 

Sure, Bucky wasn’t going to tell Steve right away, but at least hearing Tony’s story gave him a new outlook on the situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hiiiiiii! 
> 
> Thanks a bunch for reading and I love you all! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are much appreciated. 
> 
> I hope you are all doing well and staying safe! 
> 
> -Kit


	14. Steve - May 4, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> Welcome to the longest chapter I have written for this fic! And by ‘I,’ I mean the people who wrote the script to Avengers because every single word of dialogue in this fic comes directly from the movie. Sooooooo..... is this technically plagiarism, yes. But it’s plagiarism with good reason. Plus, I did add a little something to make it my own, aka some of Steve’s thoughts, some transitions, and mentions of Bucky sooooo..... Anyway, never fear, the following chapter will be posted tomorrow so you get some original content soon. I just wanted to be a jerk ;) 
> 
> Love you all 
> 
> Xoxo  
> -Kit

To say that Steve was having a bad night would be an understatement. Every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was the plane crash. Instead of tossing and turning, he decided to go down to the tower gym and hit the heavy bag. 

After an hour or so of punching, destroying one of the bags in the process, Steve felt a presence behind him. Instead of acknowledging it, he kept hitting the bag. 

“Trouble sleeping,” the person, Fury to be exact, finally spoke. up.

“Slept for 70 years sir, I think I’ve had my fill.” 

“Then you should be out celebrating, seeing the world.” 

Steve huffed out a laugh.

“I went under, the world was at war. I wake up, they say we won. They didn’t say what we lost.” 

At this point, realizing his workout was done, Steve began to unwrap his hands. 

“We made some mistakes along the way. Some very recently,” Fury told him, pulling out a file that Steve assumed was for him. 

“You here with a mission, sir?” He asked. 

“I am.” 

“Trying to get me back into the world?” 

“Trying to save it.” 

When he opened the file, Steve was met with the familiar image of the tesseract. The thing that was the reason he took a nose dive into the arctic in the first place. And here Fury was with a file on the damn thing. 

“Hydras secret weapon.” 

“Howard Stark fished that out of the ocean when he was looking for you. He thought what we think, the tesseract could be the key to unlimited sustainable energy. That’s something the world sorely needs.”

“Who took it from you?” Steve asked, making no attempt to hide how unhappy he was with that. 

“He’s called Loki. He’s not from around here. There’s a lot we’ll have to bring you up to speed on if you’re in. The world has gotten stranger than you already know.” 

“At this point I doubt anything would surprise me.” 

“Ten bucks says you're wrong. There’s a debriefing packet waiting for you back at your apartment. Is there anything you can tell us about the tesseract that we ought to know now?” 

“You should have left it in the ocean.”

With that, Steve picked up his things and left the gym, dreading whatever was about to come. 

##############

“He really grows on you doesn't he,” Dr. Banner joked about their new prisoner on the hellicarrier. 

“Loki’s gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what’s his play?” Steve asked the man, who was apparently one of the Norse gods. Because they were real. 

“He has an army called the Chitari. They are not of Asgard, nor any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the tesseract.” 

“An army, from outer space,” Steve said incredulously. “I wanna know why Loki let us take him. He’s not leading an army from here.” 

“I don’t think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy’s brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him,” Banner interjected. 

“Have care how you speak. Loki is beyond reason, but he is of Asgard. And he is my brother,” Thor chastised Banner. 

“He killed 80 people in two days,” Natasha not-so-helpfully adds.

“He’s Adopted.” 

“I think it’s about the mechanics. Iridium. What do they need the iridium for?” Banner asks. 

“It’s a stabilizing agent. Means, the portal won’t collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD.” Tony jumps in when he walks into the room. “Also, it means the portal can open as wide and stay open as long as Loki wants. The rest of the raw materials agent Barton can get his hands on pretty easily. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. Something to kickstart the cube.” 

##########

After arguing with Tony in the lab about hacking into SHIELDs files, Steve decided to do a little research of his own. Sure, Jarvis would get Tony the answers he was looking for, but Steve figured some good old fashioned reconnaissance could be more efficient. 

He wandered around the hellicarrier looking around every corner, in every nook and cranny to try and figure out if SHIELD really was hiding anything like Tony suspected. 

As much as Steve hated to admit it, Tony was right. 

###########

“What is phase two?” Tony asked Fury. 

“Phase two is SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons,” Steve butted in, slamming a gun down on the table. Specifically, a gun he found hidden on board the hellicarrier. A gun that bore a striking resemblance to the ones that Hydra was making back in the 1940’s. “Sorry, the computer was moving a little slow for me.”

“Rogers, we gathered everything related to the tesseract. This does not mean that-” Fury started, before getting cut off by Tony. 

“I’m sorry Nick, what were you lying?” 

“I was wrong, director. The world hasn’t changed a bit,” Steve nearly growled. 

“Did you know about this?” Banner asked Natasha, who had just entered the room with Thor.

“You want to think about removing yourself from this environment, doctor?” She said, completely evading the question. 

“Oh, I was in Kolkata. I was pretty well removed.” 

“Loki’s manipulating you.” 

“And you're doing what exactly?” 

“You didn’t come here because I bat my eyelashes at you.” 

“Yes, and I’m not leaving because you suddenly get a little twitchy. I would like to know why SHIELD is using the tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction.” 

“Because of him,” Fury explained, pointing at Thor. 

“Me?” The god asked. 

“Last year earth had a visor from another planet who had a grudge match that leveled a small town. We learned that not only are we not alone, but we are hopelessly, hilariously outgunned.” 

“My people want nothing but peace with your planet.” 

“But you’re not the only people out there, are you? And you’re not the only threat. The worlds filling up with people that can’t be matched. They can’t be controlled.”

“Like you controlled the cube?” Steve interjected. 

“Your work with the tesseract is what drew Loki to it, and his allies. It is a signal to all the realms that earth is ready for a higher form of war.” 

“A higher form?” Steve asked?

“You forced our hand. We had to come up with some-” Fury tried to defend. 

“A nuclear deterrent. Because that always calms everything right down,” Tony said, adding to the chaos of the lab. 

“Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?” 

“I’m sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be neck deep-” Steve jumped back in. 

“Wait, wait, how is this now about me?” 

“I’m sorry, isn’t everything?” 

As the arguments around the room begin to increase Loki’s scepter begins to light up, as if it’s feeding off the chaos surrounding it. 

“What are we, a team?” Banner shouted. “No, we are a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We’re, we're a time bomb.”

“You need to step away,” Fury told him, realizing how close to the scepter he was.

“Why shouldn’t a guy let off a little steam?” Tony asked, putting his hand on Steve’s shoulder. 

“You know damn well why,” Steve told him off, shoving Tony's hand away from him. “Back off.” 

“Oh I’m starting to want you to make me” 

“Yeah, big man in a suit of armor. Take that off and what are you?” 

“Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist.” 

“I know guys with none of that worth ten of you. And I’ve seen the footage. The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You’re not the guy to make the sacrifice play. To lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you.” 

“I think I would just cut the wire.” 

“Always a way out. You know, you may not be a threat but you better stop pretending to be a hero.” 

“A hero? Like you? You’re a laboratory experiment, Rogers. Everything special about you came out of a bottle.” 

“Put on the suit. Let’s go a few rounds.” 

“You people are so petty. And tiny,” Thor added, likely only to spark more anger from the group. 

“Yeah, this is a team,” Banner nearly laughed.

“Agent Romanov, would you escort doctor Banner back to his-” Fury began to instruct. 

“Where? You rented my room.” 

“The cell was just incase-”

“You needed to kill me. But you can’t. I know, I tried. I got low. I didn’t see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out,” Banner shouted at them, gripping the scepter. 

Before they could react, an explosion came from the side of the hellicarrier. 

This is why Loki let us catch him, Steve thought to himself. He wanted to attack them on their own terf, bring the fight to them. But why? 

#########

“”He made it personal,” Tony lamented in the aftermath of the attack. 

They had managed to save a man named Barton, but lost Agent Coulson in the process.

“That’s not the point.” 

“That is the point. That’s Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?”

“To tear us apart.” 

“Yeah, but divide and conquer is great but he knows he has to take us out to win right. That’s what he wants. He wants to beat us. He wants to be seen doing it. He wants an audience.”

“Right, I caught his act in Stuttgart.”

“That’s just previews, and this is opening night. Loki, he’s a full tilt diva. He wants flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built to the skies with his name plastered- son of a bitch.”

“The tower,” Steve said, stating the obvious. 

“Yeah, and Bucky should be there right now,” Tony realized, worry seeping into his voice. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. “Jarvis, lock down the lab with Bucky in it. If it’s going to get breached or damaged, get him out of there.” 

“Yes, sir,” the A.I. responded through the phone. 

“He’s gonna be okay,” Tony said out loud, though Steve wasn’t sure which one of them it was meant to reassure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, hi. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this and I’ll see you back here tomorrow with Loki’s attack part two!
> 
> We are in the thick of it now!
> 
> Also, for those of you that are sad that this fic is coming to an end, I have another WIP called With My Dying Breath. I also have another cute little fic in the works and will hopefully start posting that soon! 
> 
> Feel free to follow me on twitter for updates @ erosanderis 
> 
> -Kit


	15. Bucky - May 4, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> Long time no see! Here we are with a chapter that actually contains all original content! I hope you all enjoy it! 
> 
> The next chapter can be expected next Saturday at some point because I am still a jerk and I want to leave you all stewing in angst. {Insert evil laugh here}
> 
> See you soon. 
> 
> Xoxo   
> -Kit

Bucky walks into the lab later than he usually does. Tony had texted last night that he was off doing some ‘super secret spy stuff’ with SHIELD, so Bucky could come to the lab as early or late as he wanted. Bucky, being the lazy person he was, opted to go into the lab later so he could sleep in. There was a part of him that wanted to ask Tony what he was working on, but he also knew that Tony wouldn’t be able to keep his mouth shut when he got back. 

So instead of dwelling on what his boss was doing with a shady spy agency, Bucky got lost working on his prosthetic project. 

For the last few months, he and Tony had been working on making mechanical prosthetics that could be hooked up to the brain and function almost like a normal limb. The intent was that eventually they would be able to have full range of motion and feeling. They would also like to be able to make them hyper realistic. For how, the prototype was made of interlocking metal plates, which, in Bucky’s opinion, was a lot cooler than a realistic one. 

He didn’t know how long he was tinkering with the wiring inside the arm, but eventually his stomach began to gurgle. He pulled out his phone to check the time, only half surprised to see that is well past when he typically took his lunch break. 

Thankfully, Tony allows him to use the residential kitchen that is only two floors away from the lab. 

While he waits for his lunch to heat up, leftover butternut squash soup courtesy of his mother, Bucky finds himself staring down at his band. 

Ever since his conversation with Tony a few days prior, Bucky has been conflicted. Rationally, he knew it would be better to tell Steve sooner rather than later. The problem was, he wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it. 

His biggest obstacle was the fact that the first day they met Steve, Tony told him that Bucky had a horrible fear of touch. It made sense at the time, because shaking Steve’s hand that day would have been bad. Steve had literally just woken up from being frozen for seventy years. The last thing the man needed was to find out his soulmate was a guy who was that many years younger than him. 

Bucky had to figure out how to tell Steve that he didn’t actually have a touch aversion. However, walking up to steve and saying ‘hey steve, so tony actually lied to you the day we met. Yeah, I’m actually totally fine with touch. The problem was, my band was black all my life and then suddenly it just changed color. So tony and I figured out it had to be you because that was the only way it would be possible.’ He would sound crazy, and Steve would have ever right to be mad at him. He knew he would be upset if someone did that to him, no matter how justified they felt doing it. 

Before he could spiral more, the microwave dings. He pulls his lunch out and walks over to the table in the center of the room. He takes his phone out of his pocket and mindlessly scrolls through his social media, rolling his eyes at all of the people he used to go to high school with. 

He had just set his bowl in the sink when Jarvis pipes up from overhead. 

“Mr. Barnes, Mr. Stark requests your presence back in the lab.” 

“Sure thing, I’ll be down in a second,” Bucky answers, a little surprised. 

He was shocked to hear that Tony was back so soon. He figured top secret work with the government would take more than 24 hours, but clearly he was mistaken. 

“Tony?” He yells, not seeing his boss anywhere. 

“Mr. Stark is still away,” Jarvis responds. 

Now Bucky is even more confused. It didn’t make sense that Tony would summon him down to the lab when he wasn’t there. 

“Why would he request my presence if he’s not even here?” Bucky asks, genuinely curious. 

“Mr. Stark requested that I lock down the lab with you in it. I assume there is some sort of situation. I was also instructed to get you out of the building if it is being breached. For now, you are safer inside the building than out.” 

Bucky felt himself starting to panic. Something had to be seriously wrong to make Tony lock him in the tower. He was too busy trying to keep a panic attack at bay to laugh about how being locked in a tower makes him a fairytale princess. 

He fumbled for his phone and dialed Tony’s number. He needed to at least know what was going on. 

“Hey Bucky Bear,” Tony answered after a few rings. In the background, Bucky was able to hear wind blowing. 

“Are you flying in the suit right now?” Bucky asks.

“Yeah, it’s quicker than whatever SHIELD’s got. It’s a good thing that we fixed the suit up too, cuz you were right.” 

“What do you mean I was right?”

“Oh, yeah. Remember when we were fixing up the suit and you made a joke about an alien invasion? Well, turns out, we are currently being invaded by aliens.”

Bucky’s phone crashes onto the floor. 

“Bucky?” He hears Tony ask, conceding evident in his voice. “Is everything okay there?” 

He stumbles trying to pick his phone back up. He presses it back to his ear before speaking. “Yeah, sorry, I just dropped my phone. Please tell me you are joking about the aliens.” 

“I wish I was kid. Turns out, they are being led by the Norse god Loki. The good thing is his brother Thor is on our side.”

“Oh, okay. I must be having a full on mental breakdown or the weirdest fucking dream of my life.” 

There was no way that New York was being invaded by aliens who were being assisted by an actual god. Tony was just fucking with him, right? 

Of course, right as he thinks that, Bucky sees something zoom past one of the windows of the lab. He goes over to the window to check and see if it was Tony or maybe Rhodey flying by. He looks outside and sees what could only be a fucking alien on a hover board. When he looks in the direction it came from, he sees an actual portal opening up in the sky above the tower. 

“Holy fuck, we are actually being invaded by aliens right now,” Bucky says in utter disbelief. 

“How do you think I feel? I have to fight them off. Speaking of, I should hang up now. Just got to the city. Make sure you stay away from the windows kid. Stay safe.” 

“You too,” he says to Tony before he hangs up. 

He pockets his phone and makes his way to the nearest chair. He plops down in it and puts his head in his hands. He’s not entirely sure how to process everything that’s happening right now. All he wants to do is run home to his family and make sure that they are safe, but he knows it’s safer for him in the lab. He also knows that Tony and whoever else was with him would keep them contained. Hopefully the aliens wouldn’t make it to Brooklyn. 

Bucky is about to get up when he hears glass shattering. He looks up just in time to see one of the creatures breaking through the windows of the lab. Without thinking, Bucky jumps up from the chair and makes a run for his work station with the intent of using one of his tools as a weapon. 

Before he can even make it halfway there, the creature grabs him. It lifts Bucky up by the waist and throws him onto the nearest table. 

Bucky’s body aches from the force of the fall, but he forces himself to get up. He rolls off the table, landing harshly on the floor. He frantically searches for something he can use to defend himself. Luckily for him, when he was tossed onto the table, a screwdriver fell to the floor. 

He picks it up and charges at the creature. He doesn’t know much about alien anatomy, but he’s banking on it being similar enough to a human so that he can stab in the right place. 

The creature runs at him, clearly unfazed by the tiny tool Bucky is brandishing. When it’s within an arm's reach, Bucky jams the screwdriver in what he assumes is the alien’s chest. 

Clearly it has some effect on the creature, because it starts making a horrific sound. As it cries out in pain, at least that’s what Bucky assumes it’s doing, it picks him back up. Before Bucky knows what’s happening, he is being thrown across the room. 

The force of the throw sends him flying into the wall. His head bashes against it, doing the same on the linoleum below him as he crashes to the floor. His head is pounding and his vision is blurring. It doesn’t take long for his vision to fade to black. 

The next thing Bucky knows, his eyes snap open feeling like there is fire coursing through his veins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> So, thoughts on out lovely little cliff hanger?? 😈 Tune in next week to find out what happens. 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are very much loved. 
> 
> Love you all bunches 
> 
> -Kit


	16. Steve - May 4, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey lovelies, 
> 
> Long time no see! Sorry it’s been a minute. The plan was to update yesterday, but I e fed up at my neighbors house and drinking soooo.... yeah 
> 
> ANYWAYS, please read my end of chapter notes. There is a thing I wanna do so all do you reading it would be greatly appreciated. 
> 
> Xoxo  
> -Kit

The team, excluding Tony, load onto the quinjet. With Hawkeye at the wheel, they make it to New York in no time. The moment they land, the alien invasion is already in full swing. The creatures are pouring out from a portal in the sky, causing havoc in the streets. 

Natasha fires at the creatures from the quinjet before they crash onto the street. She manages to get a chunk of them down, but with the rate at which they are coming from the portal, it’s not enough. 

Once they land, Steve coordinates the ground team. Steve leaves Natasha and Clint so they can get civilians to safety. He takes off to instruct the police and military on the best way to handle the situation. After a moment's hesitation, the officers follow his instructions. 

Steve rejoins Clint and Natasha in their fight, Thor soon flying down to their aid. 

“What’s the story upstairs?” Steve asks Thor. 

“The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable.” 

“Thor’s right,” Tony jumps in over the coms. “We’ve got to deal with these guys.” 

“How do we do this?” Natasha asks no one in particular. 

“As a team,” Steve states. 

From there, they begin to divide and conquer. Steve realizes that Loki will keep the fight centered around them and figures out how to use that to their advantage. Just as he is about to tell the team the plan, Bruce makes his entrance on a rickety motorcycle. 

Steve tells Tony that Bruce showed you, as he predicted. Tony smiles to himself. In response, he says, “I’m bringing the party to you.” 

Within seconds, Tony flies towards them, trailed by one of the whale-like creatures flying through the air. Banner walks towards the creature without hesitation and transforms into the Hulk, punching the creature and destroying it. 

“Until we can close that portal, our priority is containment. Barton, I want you on that roof,” Steve tells Hawkeye. “Eyes on everything, call out patterns and strays. Stark, you’ve got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash. Thor, you’ve gotta try and bottleneck that portal. Slow ‘em down. You’ve got the lighting, light the bastards up.” Then he turns to Natasha. “You and me, we stay on the ground. Keep the fighting here. And Hulk, smash.” 

They all head to their respective assignments, Tony giving Clint a lift up to the roof. Clint quickly realizes that the creatures lack the ability to turn corners well. Tony, in turn, uses this to his advantage. 

On the ground, Steve and Natasha are working together to fight off as many of the creatures as possible. During a monetary lull in the chaos, Natasha tells Steve that she wants to get up to the tower to try to figure out how to close the portal. 

To get up, she decided that she is going to hitch a ride on one of the aliens' hovercrafts. She takes a few steps away from Steve to get a running start. Steve angles his shield so that she can use it as a springboard. When one of the creatures is within striking distance, Natasha runs at Steve and jumps onto his shield. When she lands, he uses all his strength to help boost her up onto the hovercraft. She lands safely on it, leaving Steve to his own devices on the ground. 

“Hey Cap,” Tony says through the coms, voice laced with panic. “I’m going to need you to head over to the tower.”

“Well I’m a little busy here,” Steve grunts as he slices his shield through one of the creatures in front of him. 

“The lab has been breached.” 

Steve stands frozen on the street, allowing one of the creatures to land a punch. Thankfully, Steve is able to react quickly and beat the creature down. 

“I’m on my way,” he tells Tony. 

Steve breaks into a sprint, not caring about anything else but getting to the tower. When he is a block away, Thor lands next to him. He wraps an arm around Steve’s waist and tells him to hold on tight. 

Thor drops Steve on the tower's balcony, seven floors above the lab. Without a second thought, Steve runs to the stairwell, taking them three at a time in his haste to make it down. 

He breaks down the door of the lab just in time to see one of the creatures throw Bucky across the room. He hears a loud crack as Bucky’s skull hits the wall and then again when he falls to the ground. Steve wants nothing more than to run over to Bucky and make sure he’s okay, but he knows he has to deal with the alien first. 

With blinding rage coursing through him, Steve bolts toward the creature. When he is close to it he jumps up, using his momentum to pin the creature to the ground. Without hesitation Steve lifts his shield and slams it down into the creature's neck, decapitating it in one swift movement. Steve sits there, on top of the creature, for a moment, panting. 

“Cap, what’s going on in there?” Tony asks, breaking the silence. 

“There was only one of those things in the lab, but it hurt Bucky. I just killed it. I’m heading to check on Bucky now.” 

“Keep me posted.” 

Steve quickly dislodges his shield from the floor and goes over to where Bucky is lying on the ground. He’s clearly breathing, but is unconscious. Steve reaches out to touch Bucky, but pulls his hand back as quickly as he reached it out. 

Steve recalls the first day that he met Bucky, Tony telling him about Bucky’s fear of touch. He has absolutely no desire to do something to Bucky that would send him into a panic, but he also has to check if he is okay. Steve briefly considers asking Tony to come check incase Bucky wakes up, thinking that maybe at least being touched by a close friend would be better. But for the sake of time, and likely for Bucky’s health, Steve decides it has to be him. 

Steve reaches his hand out again, aiming to place two fingers on Bucky’s neck to check his pulse. The moment Steve’s fingers come into contact with Bucky’s neck, he feels like there is fire flowing through his veins. It is one of the most intense sensations he has ever felt, even more so than when he received the serum. 

After a few seconds, the sensation comes to an end and Steve is left slightly confused as to what just happened. In the same moment that Steve is questioning what happened, Bucky's eyes snap open. 

He looks panicked for a moment, until his eyes settle on Steve sitting before him. 

It takes a moment for everything to not Steve. He realizes what that feeling was. Why the second he laid his hands on Bucky he felt like his insides were on fire. 

“It's you,” Steve says, more so to himself than Bucky. “You’re my soulmate. It’s been you the whole time.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, 
> 
> So yo all of my fellow writers, I really want to get a fanfic exchange going! My idea is a Christmas fic exchange. So my rules for it as a 3K word minimum. Sign up will be available until November 12. The fics will be posted on December 20. If you know anyone who writes stucky fic, please feel free to send them the link to the sign up. Also, this is my first time doing anything like this, so if there are issues with the link,  
> Lease let me know so I can troubleshoot. 
> 
> I hope there are a bunch of you who want to do this! 
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-2Jj71GxiGkuIE56vtYjYaVwJVf4rGlUTgxZqgbJGVU
> 
> Xoxo 
> 
> -Kit


	17. May 4, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> Sorry I’m a few days late, but writers block is a bitch. Did this chapter go as I originally planned, Nope. But I do like how it turned out and that the important thing. Also, if you noticed, this is the only chapter that doesn’t have a specified POV. That’s because we get both! I hope you all like this chapter! I’ll see you soon for the epilogue! 
> 
> Xoxo   
> -Kit

Bucky

The first two things that register when Bucky opens his eyes are the pain in the back of his head and the feeling of fire flowing through his veins. His entire body is in agony and he isn’t entirely sure why. He vaguely remembers someone, no, something, breaking into the lab. He remembers being tossed around like a rag doll. He remembers crashing into the wall. The pain in his head is likely a result of that, but he couldn’t explain the fire. 

Was the lab on fire? 

Bucky begins to panic, fearing that he will burn alive. Someone must have destroyed the fire suppression system. Or maybe they hacked Jarvis. Maybe they- 

Bucky’s panicked thoughts stop the moment he looks up. 

There is no fire in the lab. He’s not burning alive. The only thing that he can see is Steve. 

A very confused looking Steve. 

Who is bent down in front of him. 

Steve who is confused, bent down in front of him, and within arms reach. 

Steve, his soulmate, within touching distance. 

It all made sense now. He knew why he felt like he had fire flowing through his veins, a sensation which was beginning to subside. 

Steve touched him. 

Steve now knew they were soulmates. 

Steve. Captain America. The man out of time. The man who grew up in a time where it was illegal to be gay just found out that his soulmate was a man. 

And instead of fear, panic, or disgust, he’s looking at Bucky in awe. 

“It’s you. You’re my soulmate. It’s been you the whole time,” Steve says, a hint of wonder in his voice. 

“So it seems,” Bucky barely manages to croak out. 

He tries to sit upright, but he’s in too much pain to manage on his own. Sensing what he’s trying to do, Steve moves to help him move. 

Once Bucky’s situated, Steve’s hands fly off him. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I completely forgot. You just looked like you were in pain and you needed help and I just-” 

“Steve,” Bucky cut him off. He cupped Steve’s cheeks in his hands. “What are you apologizing for?” 

“For touching you. I know that you have a fear of touch and I’m so unbelievably sorry for even thinking about putting my hands on you, but you were hurt.” 

Before Steve can continue to apologize, Bucky shifts one of his hands to cover his mouth. 

“Tony lied,” he admits. 

“What?” 

“That first day, Tony lied about my fear of touch.” 

“Why would he-” Steve cuts himself off this time. It’s like he’s listening to someone. Probably another person speaking through some sort of communication device. “What? Why?” Steve pauses for a moment. “He’s going to what?” A slightly longer pause follows. “How much longer?” Pause. “Is he out?” Pause. “Shut it down.” 

Steve’s face falls at the last command. Bucky isn’t sure what was going on, but he pulls Steve into his arms. He runs his fingers through the blonde’s hair to comfort him after god-knows-what. 

After a moment Steve peeks back up. “Oh thank god,” he breathes out. “We won.” 

“We won,” Bucky repeats. 

“Yeah Buck, we won,” Steve tells him with a smile. 

“How?” 

“Natasha managed to shut down the machine opening the portal. The aliens all collapsed the second she did it.” 

“And everyone’s okay? I mean, the people you were with. Tony?” 

“Physically I think everyone is a little rough, but nothing permanent. Mentally, that’s a different story.” 

“Good,” Bucky says, leaning his head against the wall. “That’s good.” 

“Yeah, it is.” Steve pauses. “So what were you saying before? About Tony.” 

Bucky goes still for a moment. Hopefully Steve won’t hate him after he learns the full story. 

“From the day I was born my band was black,” Bucky starts. Steve’s eyes go wide at this admission, but he doesn’t interrupt. “I spent my whole life thinking my soulmate died before I was born, which is kind of true I guess. At least, it was black until about two weeks ago. That day that you came out of the ice, that’s the day it changed. I had just gotten to work and Tony was yelling at his robots, as per usual. He was also sleep deprived and going on about some work he was doing with SHIELD. At one point, he noticed that my band was changing colors. As if on cue, he got a call about you waking up. We both figured that was the only rational explanation for what was happening, as crazy as it sounded. When Fury said he was coming to the lab with you I panicked a little. I also didn’t want to make things worse for you. You just found out that you were frozen for seventy years and woke up in the future. I figured finding out you had a soulmate wouldn’t help with the readjustment. So Tony came up with the lie about me having a fear of touch. I just assumed I’d have a chance to tell you at some point, to explain the whole situation. I didn’t want to throw you in the deep end.” 

Steve is silent for much longer than Bucky would have liked. Eventually, he takes a deep breath, preparing to speak. 

“So you knew?” Steve asks through gritted teeth. “You knew the entire time. You knew that we were soulmates and didn’t think that was something I needed to know?”

“Steve, I-” Bucky starts, only to be cut off by Steve holding up his hand. 

Slowly, Steve stands from where he was crouching next to Bucky. He takes one glance at the man sitting at his feet, turns around, and walks towards the stairwell. Despite Bucky’s desperate calls, Steve doesn’t turn around. He just leaves the lab. 

Steve

Steve isn’t sure how to react. There is a part of him that knows walking away from Bucky is not the right choice, but he needs to think. He needs a minute to himself to process everything that just happened. Finding out you have a soulmate is a huge deal. Finding out your soulmate knew the entire time and decided that you didn’t have the right to know is something entirely different. He knows he should go back into the lab and talk to Bucky, but he also has to go check on his team. 

Steve makes his way up the stairs to Tony’s floor where the team and Loki are. When he gets there, Loki has already been cuffed and being shuffled towards the elevator. Steve goes to join them, but is stopped by Tony. Steve allows himself to be pulled away from the team, having a pretty good idea why he’s being pulled. 

“So,” Tony starts when they are out of earshot of the team, “how is he?”

“Alive,” Steve states, making sure to keep his face blank. 

“Alive? I mean, I’m glad to hear that much, but how is he? Is he hurt? Can you give me a little more than that, Cap.”

“No.” 

“No?” 

“No. You want to know how he’s doing, go down the lab and check on him. That’s where I left him.” 

Tony’s face shifts from confusion to anger. “You left him there? What do you mean you left him there? The only thing you can say about his condition is that he’s alive and you just left him in the lab? What on earth would have possessed you to do something so stupid?” 

“Do you honestly think I would be so stupid as to leave him there if he was seriously injured? That would be stupid of me to leave him there to die, especially considering he’s my soulmate.” Tony’s eyes widened in shock. “Yeah, I know. I also know that the two of you have been lying to me since the day we met.”

“Steve, you have to understand why we did it. We didn’t want to hide it from you, but there was so much happening to you all at once. It made sense at the time. We didn’t want to overwhelm you. I know you’re upset, but please think about Bucky right now. He’s sitting in the lab, probably in pain. He just confirmed the fact that you are his soulmate, something he thought he didn’t have for a very long time. And your first thought is to run away from him. Put yourself in his shoes. His soulmate just ran away from him minutes after finding it out. Think about the rejection he must feel right now. Sure, you’re not happy with how we handled it, but you know now. You know the truth and your soulmate is in pain. How about instead of abandoning him, you get your patriotic ass back down there and be with him. Deal with this shit later.” 

“Shit,” is all Steve can say before taking off to the stairwell. He takes the stairs two at a time in his haste to get back to Bucky. He needed to get back to Bucky. 

As much as he hates to admit it, Tony was right. He shouldn’t have left Bucky like that. He had just been tossed around like a rag doll by an alien and then found out who his soulmate was, only to have them run away from him. Sure, Steve ran because he found out Bucky knew the whole time, but that still didn’t make it okay. He should have put Bucky’s well-being first and he screwed up. He just hopes that Bucky will forgive him. 

When Steve finally gets down to the lab Bucky is up and moving, trying to clean the lab a little. Every shift has Bucky wincing in pain, but he keeps picking up tools and the remnants of the destroyed projects. 

“You should be resting,” Steve tells him, asking Bucky to freeze. 

Bucky stops what he’s doing and turns to face Steve. “You came back,” he says, obviously shocked. 

“Yeah. I did. Tony of all people managed to talk some sense into me.” Steve starts walking towards Bucky, moving slowly. He stops a few feet in front of him. “He made me realize that I might not have reacted in the best way, and I’m sorry for that. I shouldn’t have walked away, but I did.” 

“Steve,” Bucky stops him, “it’s okay. I understand. I fully expected you to be upset when you found out. I was a little more worried about how you’d feel finding out your soulmate was a man though.”

“I’m okay with that. Very okay with it, actually. I probably would have been more shocked if it was a woman.” 

Bucky shifts forward, slowly closing the space between them. “So, you’re okay with this?” Bucky asks when the distance between them is only inches. 

“Yes,” Steve whispers. 

Bucky’s right hand moves caress Steve’s face, his thumb smoothing over his cheekbone. His left hand moved to sit on the curve of Steve’s waist. “This?” 

“Yes.” 

Bucky’s hand slides to the back of Steve’s head, fingers running through his hair as he pulls him closer. Their foreheads press together as Bucky asks one final time, “this?” 

“Yes.” 

This time, it’s Steve who moves first. He is the one who closes the gap between them. He leans forward, capturing Bucky’s lips in his own. He feels sparks the moment their lips touch. He can’t help but put his hands on Bucky’s cheeks, pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. 

He isn’t sure how long they stand there tangled up in each other, but eventually they pull back, gasping for breath. They look at each other, smiling. 

“As much as I would love to keep doing this, we should probably take you to see a doctor,” Steve says, still a little breathless. 

“Yeah, that might be a good idea,” Bucky chuckles, wincing slightly as he moves. “Will you stay with me?” 

“Yeah Buck, I’ll stay with you. ‘Til the end of the line.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thanks to everyone who has stuck around this long and thanks to my new readers for choosing to read this! 
> 
> Also, lovely little reminder about my Christmas fanfic exchange! You still have well over a month to sign up for it! 
> 
> https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1-2Jj71GxiGkuIE56vtYjYaVwJVf4rGlUTgxZqgbJGVU/edit
> 
> Love you all! 
> 
> -Kit


	18. Bucky - July 4, 2012

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, 
> 
> This is it. The end of an era. The conclusion of my lovely soulmates AU. Thank you so much to everyone who has read this! I love each and every one of you. Please enjoy this sappy ending. 
> 
> Xoxo  
> -Kit

“Hey mom,” Bucky said nervously. 

Winnie, sensing that her son was about to say something important, stopping chopping up the veggies for her macaroni salad and led him to the couch in the living room. 

“What is it sweetheart?” She asked as she reached out to hold his hand. His right hand. 

“I, um.” Bucky paused to take a breath. “I might have lied to you about something, but the truth sounds crazier than the lie, so I don’t really know exactly how to say this in a way that is believable, but I promise you it’s true.” 

“Jamie, is everything okay?” 

“Remember a few months ago when I told you that Tony was working on something to mask black bands and make them look colorful?” 

Winnie nodded. 

“I lied.” 

“What? What do you mean you lied,” Winnie asked, both confused and curious. 

“So that day Tony and I were being Tony and I, which means we were not-really-fighting about something when he pointed out my hand to me. He hadn't slept in a while so he figured he was just hallucinating the change in color in my band but I saw it too. It’s not fake ma, I really do have a soulmate out there.” 

Winnie moves the hand that wasn’t holding Bucky’s up to her mouth in shock. Her eyes were wide and brimming with tears. She wanted so desperately to believe what her son was saying was true, but none of it made any sense. 

“How?” She asked. 

“This is where the story goes from crazy to insane. The day that my band started changing color was the same day that Captain America woke up after being found in the ice.”

“Captain America? The star spangled man with the plan? The actual superhero from the 1940’s is your soulmate?” 

“Yeah. Tony and I assumed that was the only rational explanation, but we weren’t sure until the invasion. When the alien got to me in the lab, it was Steve who came in to save me. The second he moved to help me I knew it was true. He’s my soulmate mama.” 

Winnie’s tears were flowing freely. She pulls Bucky in a hug, crying into the crook of his neck. Bucky can’t help but Snead a few tears as well, clinging to his mother the same way he did when he was younger. 

“I’m so happy for you sweetheart,” she says when she finally pulls back. She wipes a few tears from her face. “So when do I get to meet him?” 

“Ma,” Bucky says, exasperated. “I actually invented him over today. Tony wanted to have a big ‘first birthday since defrosting’ party for him, but Steve just wanted something small. I figured the Barnes family barbecue would be better.” 

“Today? Why didn’t you give me more warning? What time is he coming?” 

“I told him to be here by three.” 

“Three. Okay. I can work with that. What kind of cake does he like? You’re also going to have to go out get some ingredients.” 

“Apple pie is his favorite, if that’s not too much trouble.” 

“Not at all, but I’m going to need more apples. I’ll make you a list and get started on the crust.” 

“Sounds good. Thanks Ma.” 

——————

At 3 o’clock on the dot there is a knock at the door. Bucky runs to it, earning a chuckle from his mom and a puzzled look from Becca. 

He pauses in from of the door so as to look like he hadn’t sprinted there. He takes one last breath and opens the door. 

“Hey,” he greets Steve, a bright smile making its way onto his face. 

“Hey,” Steve replies, a similar smile dancing on his lips. 

“Come on in.” Bucky steps back and let’s Steve into the apartment, shutting the door behind him. 

“These are for your mom,” Steve says, nodding down to the flowers Bucky hadn’t even noticed were in his hands. 

“She will love them. Now come on, her and Becca are in the kitchen.”

When Bucky and Steve enter the kitchen, Becca’s eyes go wide. Winnie, on the other hand, smiles and walks over to the two of them. 

“It’s lovely to meet you Mrs. Barnes,” Steve greets. Then he hands over the flowers. “These are for you.” 

“Oh how sweet of you,” Winnie says, immediately pulling Steve into a hug. “It’s so nice to finally meet you. Even though my terrible son didn’t tell me the news until a few hours ago.” 

Steve gives Bucky a look, to which he replies with a shrug. 

“What news? Is it that you are dating Captain America? Because you didn’t even have the decency to tell me that,” Becca chimes in. 

“Actually, he’s my soulmate,” Bucky tells her. 

Becca’s eyes bug out even more than when Steve walked into the kitchen. “He’s your what?!” 

“Soulmate. Yeah. Turns out whatever it is that controls soulmates considers being frozen in the arctic as being dead. Lucky me he got defrosted.” 

“Awwww Bucket, I’m so happy for you,” she tells him, pulling him into a hug. 

“I’m going to ignore the use of that nickname because we are having a moment.”

Becca chuckles, then pulls back, holding Bucky at an arm's length. “Is he the reason Ma was panic baking an apple pie this morning?”

Bucky glares at her. “It was supposed to be a surprise, so thanks for that. But yes.” 

Becca lets go of her brother and walks over to Steve. She pulls him into a tight hug. “Welcome to the family. I feel like we are going to get along great. And I’m not just saying that because your presence is enough to get my mother to make pie.” 

That comment sets the tone for the rest of the evening. The four of them laugh easily over dinner and eventually the pie. Bucky makes note of how Steve tears up a little when they all sing happy birthday to him. 

The night comes to an end with Bucky and Steve snuggled up on the fire escape watching the fireworks. Bucky burrows deeper into the crook of Steve’s arm. He looks up at Steve who is smiling at the vibrant colors exploding in the sky and thinks to himself that he can’t wait to spend the rest of his life looking at that smile.


End file.
